Council buys land at Dumbarton Harbour for new affordable homes

Published 16 March 2018

West Dunbartonshire Council has agreed a number of measures to ensure its commitment to delivering 1,000 new affordable homes by 2021 is met.

At a special meeting of the local authority’s housing & communities committee this week, councillors made a decision to approve the purchase of land at Dumbarton Harbour and allow council officers to work towards concluding a deal for the 45 homes at the site.

The committee also agreed to sell land at Muir Road and Talisman Avenue in Dumbarton to Caledonia Housing Association and the Wheatley Group respectively.

The 1,000 new homes by 2021 commitment – part of the council’s More Homes Better Homes programme − will see the council work with housing association partners to deliver the affordable homes where they are most needed across the authority area.

Also announced at the meeting was a schedule or where and when the homes will be built. The council is currently building 40 homes at Second Avenue/Singer Street in Clydebank, with construction on 126 due to begin in financial year 2018/19 at the old St Andrews School site in Clydebank. Also beginning this year will be work on the 45 council homes at Dumbarton Harbour and 15 in Alexandria town centre. In 2019/20, work will start on 60 new Council houses in Bellsmyre, 81 in Haldane and 50 in Clydebank East.

Councillor Diane Docherty, convener of housing & communities, said: “It was important that the committee gave officers the approval to acquire sites for new houses and also to draw down funding for various housing projects that will contribute to our delivery of 1000 new affordable homes by 2021. The council has set a very ambitious target and it’s one that we are determined to make. We must provide desirable affordable and high quality homes for the people of West Dunbartonshire and the decision taken by the committee this week will ensure we are best placed to do that.”

West Dunbartonshire Council said its More Homes Better Homes approach ties in with the Scottish Government’s wider target of 50,000 new affordable homes by 2021.

Councillor Iain McLaren, vice convener of housing & communities, added: “I was delighted to see more detail in terms of what houses will be built and where, and to be able to give the go-ahead for the next stage of our commitment to be realised.”